January 2017 media highlights

Consumer news and features

International

Outlet: World Soccer Digest, Japan Reach: 200,000 copies Headline: Date: 02/01/17 Destination welcomed -based writer Yuko Suzuki whose regular column Football Pilgrimage features in Japanese sports World Soccer Digest (the 2nd most sold sports magazine in Japan). Yuko attended the Bristol City-v-Reading match at Ashton Gate on where she was offered a tour of the new stadium. To sample a ‘local speciality’ she also visited the shop in The Mall at .

Outlet: Familia en Ruta Reach: 72,000 visitors per month Headline: Bristol con Nino: 10 lugares para no perderse (Bristol with Nino: 10 places not to be missed) Date: 06/01/17 Spanish blogger Lucio Boggio visited Bristol in October with two children to look at the city’s offerings from a family perspective. Not to be missed, according to the blog, included SS Great Britain, At Bristol Science Centre, Brandon Hill tower, the , Clifton Village and other attractions. Destination Bristol supported the trip by providing media passes and guidance.

Outlet: My Vueling City Reach: 50,000 visitors per month Headline: A Haze of Trip Hop and Grafitti (parts 1 and 11). Date: 11/01/17 The online magazine for Spain’s low-cost airline, Vueling, sent writer Luis S Ceprian to research and review the city’s dubstep music scene, the street art and the hipster culture. Writing from a visiting- from-Cardiff perspective (this is the nearest airport served by Vueling) and accompanied by a fellow writer from Spanish music paper Mondo Sonoro, Luis visited in November 2016. His two Bristol posts covered a brief history of the Bristol sound, alongside moments on Bristol Ferries, the Hippodrome, the At Bristol Science Centre, the Matthew, and Cary Grant and dozens more Bristol highlights. His two Bristol posts can be seen here and here. Destination Bristol supported the trip by providing media passes, information and guidance.

Outlet: Life Beyond Borders (Blog) Reach: 20,655 worldwide followers Headline: Is Bristol the New London? Date: 10/01/17 Destination Bristol supported International blogger Rebecca Hall’s visit to Bristol in early January resulting in prolific coverage on Twitter and extensive coverage in multiple blog posts. Rebecca’s posts covered her stay at the Harbour Hotel, a spa day at the Lido , and Cargo at Wapping Wharf. She also placed an online piece entitled Is Bristol the New London? in the the Huffington Post .

Outlet: Ladies What Travel Reach: 3,800 (Twitter) + 2,600 Instagram) followers Headline: 15 Epic Things to do in Bristol Date: 05/12/16 The SS Great Britain, boat tours, gorillas at , Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and the At Bristol Science Centre were listed as the highlights of a visit to the city in a blog specialising in ‘affordable luxury for part-time travellers’. See the coverage here.

National

Outlet: Red Online Reach: 450,000 monthly unique users Headline: 50 Best Spas in the UK Date: 04/01/17 Bristol’s new Harbour Hotel made number 5 in Red’s list of the 50 best spas in the UK. The spa wasn’t even open at the time. ‘We can’t wait until it does,’ they said. See the article here.

Outlet: Almost Ginger (Blog) Reach: 1,250 monthly users 2,500 monthly page views Headline: London’s Lookalike: Sherlock Film Locations in Bristol Date: 26/01/17 Writer, Instagrammer ‘cinephile travel obsessive vegetarian’, Rebecca Sharp visited the city in January to follow the Sherlock Trail for her film-location blog Almost Ginger (subtitled Adventures on the Road and on the Couch). With Destination Bristol’s help she stayed at Kyle Blue while exploring the Bristol locations that featured in the BBC’s Sherlock drama series. Rebecca’s visits included Arnos Vale Cemetery. King Street, Queens Square, the cellars under Colston Hall and South Bristol swimming baths. Her Sherlock blog was followed by her Slightly Alternative Weekend Guide in which she writes about her 48 hours in Bristol.

Trade

Outlet: Business Travel Magazine Reach: 48,000 readers Headline: Meeting in Bristol Date: February/March issue (published in January). Ben Coren from Business Travel Magazine contacted us in December asking for input on a round-up of conference facilities. Working with a list of suggestions under a variety of headings (Wow Factor, Quirky, On a Shoe String, Wired Up, Out of Town), he included Brunel’s ss Great Britain, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Armada House, Hotel du Vin Bristol, the Watershed and Thornbury Castle. See the online version here.

Press trips and enquiries (where coverage is forthcoming)

Writer Claire Knivett from Jamie Magazine (a glossy lifestyle title published 10 times a year on behalf of Jamie Oliver) visited Bristol in January to compile an ‘eat like a local’ piece destined for the March issue. The article will be a pull-out food destination piece designed for the magazine’s 2017 relaunch. Destination Bristol worked on a competition for the same issue of the magazine with a prize which offered accommodation, dinner and attractions.

Laura Vaughan the editor of family travel blog, You Need to Visit returned to the city for a weekend in late January with her husband and two young children. The family stayed for two nights courtesy of The Bristol; we provided them with Destination Bristol media pass to help get the most out of the city.

Press releases

Rough Guides: Top 10 Cities. The news that Bristol had made it into the top 10 of the Rough Guides’ annual list of must-do cities for 2017, prompted our own release. The story, which was picked up by national media, sparked a wave of new interest in Bristol resulting in an increase in media enquiries.

Spring Half Term in Bristol. A round up highlighting family events and attractions taking place over the half-term week (11-19 February). The release included events at SS Great Britain, the Bristol Aquarium, Bristol Zoo Gardens, the Wild Place Project, Arnos Vale Cemetery, the and Slimbridge Wetland Centre.

Networking and news

The number of media enquiries showed a sharp increase in January, particularly from international influencers.